Third year came around in the blink of an eye. Before I knew it, the Christmas holidays were here and, in the new year, the university had put on a recruitment day for prospective ambulance services to come in to talk to students. Over the two recruitment days, I heard pitches from most ambulance trusts across the UK and Wales. The Trust I carried out my placement with was North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), with other contenders being East Midlands and Yorkshire. Following this, I completed an elective placement with London Ambulance Service (LAS) (Sofield, 2023). While this was with advanced paramedic practitioners in urgent care, it gave me a taste of London Ambulance Service (LAS) as a whole, which sparked an interest in potentially moving and working for them in the future.
Throughout March and April, both my husband and I discussed which service we thought would best suit us. For three of the four trusts, we could stay at our home in Manchester, and I would commute, depending on base station allocation. However, after the experience I had during my elective placement, I experienced what a future career could look like and I knew my heart lay with LAS. April saw NQP applications open for all four trusts. I was hesitant to apply solely for LAS; we have no friends or family in the south, and it would mean uprooting both of our lives to the capital and starting over again. I applied for the LAS in mid-April; an interview was offered very quickly and here started the process of moving to London. On the run up to the interview, I went through a gamut of feelings. Part of this was fear about finishing university, becoming a paramedic, and making the move south. On the flip side, I was excited to qualify, and to start work in a role I had wanted since being a teenager.
We began packing up our lives in July, and started the hunt for a house or flat. However, not knowing where we would be stationed was difficult. We knew that moving to London would be more expensive than living in Manchester, and we very quickly had a reality check with regards to rental prices and locations. By the end of August, we secured a lovely flat in southwest London, and had my station confirmed. Days slipped by quickly, with the impending move date looming closer and closer. The Sunday before we moved, I hired a van, started to pack it and the realisation hit—that the morning after, we were leaving Manchester, leaving NWAS, and leaving everything we knew for a clean start in London with the LAS.
Not long after moving, official transcripts were released and despite struggling through year three, I had graduated with 1st class honours. Contracts have now been signed, occupational health passed, and confirmation of my start date and induction has all been received. In the interim between moving and starting with the LAS, I have been undertaking some voluntary work and some adhoc TV work. This is giving me time to settle into London living, do some sightseeing, catch up with friends and, more importantly, relax before the next chapter begins on 6th November.
I would be lying if I said I was feeling confident. I am nervous about starting the next chapter as an NQP. LAS have different policies and procedures than what I am used to, having trained with a different Trust. However, I am looking forward to this challenge, and a new adventure—much of which will be documented here in this column!